It might be time to party like you're unemployed

It's tough to stand out at a crowded cocktail party when you're wearing exactly the same thing as dozens of other guests.

It's tough to stand out at a crowded cocktail party when you're wearing exactly the same thing as dozens of other guests.

Nevertheless, Lisa Miller is going to give it her best shot.

When the 38-year-old Westerville resident walks into the Confluence Park Restaurant Wednesday evening, she'll probably be sporting a bright pink bracelet -- just like all the other laid-off workers who paid at least $20 apiece to munch hors d'oeuvres, listen to live music and, most importantly, mingle.

The Columbus area is likely to lose 7,700 jobs this year, according to a forecast released last month by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. That would push Columbus' unemployment rate to 8.9 percent, a rate the city hasn't seen since June 1983.

Such dire employment conditions call for a different approach, said Shilah Griffeth, a local special-events planner who's hosting the party with her business partner, Theresa Lahr.

"I know so many people who are in this situation," she said.

Griffeth said she and Lahr decided to try the Pink Slip Party concept in Columbus after hearing about a similar event in New York City.

That city has had several such gatherings since November. Last month, a mixer for laid-off Wall Street workers drew more than 400 people.

"I hope that people with creative talents will maybe collaborate, forge friendships and potentially forge business ventures," Griffeth said. "Networking is the new interviewing process."

Although Columbus' Pink Slip Party is open to anyone 21 and older, Griffeth thinks the event might be particularly beneficial to women who have lost jobs.

"As women, I think we're good about adapting and saying, 'OK, maybe my life goes in this direction now,' " she said. "Maybe this will give them a different way of thinking about what they can do now -- and what they could be doing.

"Maybe, in the past, their job was just about paying the bills. Now, maybe, they can actually score a career that would be personally fulfilling."

That's precisely what Miller has been trying to do for six months now -- and what she hopes to accomplish at this week's party.

For Miller, until the economy stumbled, things couldn't have been going any better. Seven years ago, with a marketing degree under her belt, she landed a job with Starbucks. Within three years, she was promoted to district manager.

Then, in July, she lost her job.

"It was devastating," she said. "At first, it's very personal: 'Why? Why me? What did I do wrong? If I wasn't doing something well, why didn't someone tell me?' "

Miller prepared her first resume in seven years and started sending it out -- to more than 100 companies in all. Even though she was working with an employment service, she received almost no response.

"You hit the send button, and then you wait to hear the crickets chirping. You wonder: 'Did it go anywhere? Did anyone get it?' "

After a month, the married mother of one decided to start a cleaning business.

"I was thinking: 'What can I do? How can I take charge of this?' " she said. "One day, I just thought of it, literally, in the middle of the day. I made a flier and sent it to a couple dozen people and said, 'What do you think?' "

Miller has a number of steady clients now, but she still has some interest in returning to the corporate world -- if she can find a "good fit." If the right opportunity doesn't arise, she'll continue to grow her business.

Given that most of her cleaning-service clients came through networking, she is optimistic about what could come out of the Pink Slip Party.

"Networking is by far the best way to look for another opportunity," Miller said, adding that she's determined "to take this situation and make something positive out of it."

So, potential employers, if you're at the party, keep an eye out for her.

She'll be the one wearing the bright pink bracelet.

marcey.goulder@10tv.com

Rules of etiquette

• Work the room. Be outgoing and chat with everyone. • Bring your resume. • Create some personal business cards with your key information on them. You can get a thousand for as little as $20.

• Have a good time. • Don't feel bad about being let go. You'll meet plenty of people at the party who are in the same boat. • Don't get drunk. Remember, a potential employer could be watching.

Source: Lahr-Griffeth Events

If you go

• What's being billed as Columbus' first "Pink Slip Party" will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Confluence Park Restaurant. Advance-sale tickets are available for $20 online at https://lahrgriffethevents.ticketleap.com. Admission at the door will be $25.

• To view a related story that aired on WBNS-10TV, go to 10TV.com.

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